Zach Lavine

Wolves Lose High-flying Zach Lavine For The Season With A Torn Acl In His Left Knee

... at Mayo Clinic by Team Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Diane Dahm revealed that Wolves guard Zach La Vine has a torn ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) in his left knee. La Vine, who will have surgery at a to-be-determined date, will miss the remainder of the season. Further updates as to La Vine's progress will be issued when more information becomes available. The injury occurred during last night's 116-108 loss to the Detroit Pistons. In 47 games this season, La Vine averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 37.2 minutes per game. In his third NBA season, La Vine holds career averages of 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 206 games. Source: Zach La Vine Injury Update | Minnesota Timberwolves. It's awful all around, from La Vine himself who was emerging as a quality star in this league (and maybe the second-best player on the Wolves) to the team, whose slim hopes of securing a playoff spot (3.5 ...

Remember How Lavine Should Never Play Point Guard? About That

... they’re learning how to play together. Both Bjelica and Rush have looked good when they’ve started (amazingly small sample size, but Bjelica is -1.3 in plus-minus in 39 games off the bench and was +22 in his one start) and a full backcourt of La Vine, Wiggins and one of those two provides a lot more space on the floor than Rubio, La Vine and Wiggins. Furthermore, going big — heights across the board in this lineup: 6-5, 6-8, 6-10 (Bjelica), 6-11 and 7-0 — could give the Wolves a distinct identity in a league that seems to be thriving on unusual lineup decisions like Giannis Antetokounmpo as primary playmaker for the Milwaukee Bucks, James Harden as primary playmaker for the Houston Rockets and the many-headed hydra of the Golden State Warriors. Right now, Minnesota simply doesn’t appear all that creative out there on the offensive side of the ball, even if they’re often effective. Would there be downsides? Of course. Even a point guard with a more limited role is responsible for a tremendous number of decisions on every play, and it’s not entirely clear that La Vine’s grasp of the overall game is up to it, even if ...

Four Players You Want To See In 2017 Slam Dunk Contest

... Zach La Vine's Hammer: Larry Nance, Jr (Los Angeles Lakers); Aaron Gordon (Orlando Magic); Jonathon Simmons (San Antonio Spurs); Derrick Jones, Jr. (Phoenix Suns). Steve Aschburner : Zach La Vine, Aaron Gordon, Larry Nance Jr., and Andrew Wiggins. This is a wish list, right, not limited to those actually willing to participate? Good. Then we definitely need La Vine, the two-time defending champion, who has taken dunking as an art form to a new level. His showdown opponent from last season, Gordon, was right there and if we can enjoy Golden State-Cleveland rematches, we certain could enjoy La Vine-Gordon. Nance simply jumps higher than almost anyone I’ve ever seen (since his Pop anyway), so all that hang time allows for extra creativity. As for Wiggins, his dunking ferocity needs to be on full display, and perhaps some of it could bleed into his overall game on 82 nights. Fran Blinebury : Last year's ...

Lavine Won't Be Defending Dunk Contest Title

... La Vine will not defend title at All-Star dunk contest. Here's what we're missing without Zach La Vine in dunk contest (0:49). The Timberwolves announced La Vine is out for the season with a torn ACL and won't get a shot at a third straight title. (0:49). MINNEAPOLIS - The NBA dunk king is giving up his crown. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach La Vine said he will not compete in this year's slam dunk contest at All-Star weekend in New Orleans, meaning he will not try for an unprecedented third straight title in one of the league's signature events. "I feel like I've accomplished everything I could in the dunk contest," La Vine said Thursday as the Wolves prepared to face the Indiana Pacers. "It would be hard for me to go back and outdo myself. The 21-year-old La Vine breathed new life into a stale event two years ago, when he came in as a rookie and blew away the ...

Timberwolves Lose Zach Lavine For Rest Of Season To Torn Acl

... Vine is shooting 38.7 percent from 3-point range and has worked harder to become a better defender under new coach Tom Thibodeau. He averaged 37.2 minutes per game, tied for third-most in the league. And after winning the last two dunk titles, La Vine recently decided not to go for a third straight win this year, a decision Thibodeau said proved the flashy youngster had the bigger picture in mind. "He's made himself into one of the best two guards in the league," Thibodeau said. "His overall game has really blossomed. He's shooting the three great. The free throws, the drives. All of it. So he'll get through it. He's a mentally tough kid. And, as I mentioned, he's already talking about what's next.". After the Wolves started the season a disappointing 6-18, they had shown signs of putting things together. Improved defense and more consistent ball movement helped them go 13-11 before losses this week to Cleveland and Detroit. They had climbed to just 2 1/2 games back of the eighth seed in the West before those two losses, and La Vine was just starting to pull himself out of a ...

Minnesota Timberwolves

... 19 points and eight rebounds from Ja Mychal Green. Randolph added 18 off the bench. Conley and Andrew Harrison scored 13 each, while James Ennis added 11. La Vine led the Wolves with 22 points, while Towns finished with 17. No other player hit double digits for Minnesota. Key Matchup: Karl-Anthony Towns vs. Marc Gasol. This game features two of the more versatile bigs in the league. Towns is averaging 23 points, 11.9 rebounds and three assists per game in his second season, all career highs. He’s also shooting 34.1 percent from the 3-point line on 3.4 attempts per game. In seven career games against Memphis, Towns is averaging 15.1 points and 8.7 rebounds. Gasol, who will be headed to his third All-Star Game this month, is averaging a career-high 21 points to go with six rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He’s deadly from deep, too, shooting 40.8 percent on 3.7 attempts per game. In 27 career games against the ...

Zach Lavine's Shooting Evolution Driving His Impressive Growth

... moving around. Obviously, being a great athlete, he can jump and lean and fade away, but you look at the elbow, you look at the follow through, you look at how he keeps it above his forehead, that part of his shoot stays consistent, and that’s why he’s becoming a more efficient shooter.”. This season, La Vine has one less three (112) in two fewer games than J. J. Redick, who’s widely regarded as one of the league’s premier long-range assassins. La Vine ranks 14 th in made triples — trailed by marksmen like Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love and Carmelo Anthony. He’s one of the rare stars who could conceivably win both of All-Star Weekend’s chief non-game events — the Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest. “When you look at his shot this year, you can tell he’s been in the gym,” Scott said. “Because a lot of the shots he’s making, you ...

Nba Rumors And Basketball News

... job seeking out trailer scoring opportunities. As the trailer, Turner ranks in the 83 rd percentile in the league, is averaging 1.36 points per possession, and is shooting 61% from the field. Assist to Turnover Ratio – It is hard to find areas in which Turner struggles. However, one area where Turner could improve is with taking care of the ball. Turner’s game is not built around facilitating for his teammates. He generally creates his production through looking to score the ball himself. This being said, Turner could take care of the ball more effectively. Almost halfway through the season, Turner is averaging 0.9 assists and 1.4 turnovers per game. His -.64 A/TO ratio is not terribly concerning, considering his tremendous improvement in all other areas of his game over the course of the past year, but he could stand to improve. Post Up – Turner has the most room for improvement in the post, where in the ...

Wolves' Lavine Has Torn Acl, Out For Season

... Bron James took to Twitter to send well-wishes and to hope for a quick recovery for La Vine. Don't know you personally but love your talent homie. Have a healthy and speedy recovery @Zach La Vine ! Minor set back/major comeback. — Le Bron James (@King James) February 4, 2017. Thibodeau said veteran Brandon Rush will start in La Vine's place. Rush played well when La Vine missed two games in January with a hip injury. The Wolves beat Houston and Oklahoma City with Rush in the starting lineup. "He was having a career year," Rush said. "I feel for him. He's just got to put the work in to get back.". Few doubt La Vine there. He is one of the team's hardest workers, logging long hours at the team's practice facility to work on his jumper and add muscle to a lean frame. "He's been in great spirits all day," Towns said. "I see him coming back with even more bounce than he had before he got hurt. He'll be able to jump even higher, which is ridiculous to think about.". After the Wolves started the season a disappointing 6-18, they had shown signs of ...

Lavine Injury Update And Carrying Momentum To Wednesday

... on Dec. 17, La Vine finished with 24 points and six assists. Trying To Make It Two Straight. The Wolves snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Mavericks on Monday night and they hope to make it two wins in a row, something they’ve only done once this season. Of course, that doesn’t come easy against a James Harden-led Rockets team. The Wolves lost to the Rockets 111-109 in overtime to the Rockets on Dec. 17 despite leading by 13 going into the fourth quarter. But the fact that the Wolves had a then 20-7 team on the ropes is a promising sign. And despite the collapse late in the game, the Wolves don’t think that will have any effect on Wednesday night’s game. “I mean, I’ve learned from that game,” Wolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We’ve all learned. Just going to go there, go into tomorrow with a certain energy, a certain passion, a certain excitement and we have to go out there and execute. And again, everything goes back to our discipline. If we’re disciplined for ...